Lesson 6 – Managing Soilborne Pathogens Without Chemicals
Presentation Recording
Presenters
Margaret Lloyd is the UCCE Small Farms Advisor for Yolo, Sacramento & Solano Counties, specializing in organic systems management. Lloyd has conducted extensive research on non-chemical alternatives to soilborne disease management. She focuses on organic nitrogen management, beneficial insect recruitment, disease suppressive soil, rotation crops and other topics that recruit ecosystem services to help us farm.
Martin Guerena is a sustainable agriculture specialist with the National Center for Appropriate Technology, where he provides information to farmers, ranchers, and agriculture educators on sustainable farming practices and pest-control methods. Most recently, he served as the Integrated Pest Management Specialist for the City of Davis, California. He is a licensed Pest Control Advisor and has experience as a teacher, farm manager, and extension agent with the University of Arizona.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this lesson, learners will be able to:
- Describe how keeping inoculum levels low, maximizing plant health, and creating a less favorable environment are the principles of soilborne disease management.
- Understand how soil health and the development of disease suppressive soils can be managed by using cover crops and compost, building soil structure and minimizing soil disturbance.
- Describe how to use the sun’s rays with solarization to destroy or disable pests.
- Demonstrate how biosolarization creates anaerobic conditions to destroy pests.
Articles & Resources
- Understanding farmer knowledge of soil and soil management: a case study of 13 organic farms in an agricultural landscape of northern California
- Soil Solarization and Biosolarization from ATTRA